ALCYONIUM. 



4. Alcyonium Schlofferi. Schloffers Alcyonium, 



Alcyonium carnofum This confifts of a lead-co- 



lividum aflerifcis lmeis y lored fleftiy fubftance, adorned 

 radiis obtufis^ ornatum. with yellow ftars, that have 



obtufe rays. 



Uva marina. Rondelet. hift. aquatil. 2, pag. 130. 



Phil. Tranf. Vol. 49. pag. 449. tab. 14. 



Borlafe Nat. Hift. of Cornwall, pag. 254. tab. 25. 



This moft curious fea production grows on fucus's and 

 ftones on the coaft of Cornwall and Wales. 



We have but an imperfed figure and account of it in 

 Rondeletius ; but my worthy friend the late Dr. Schloffer 

 has given us a very good figure and defcription of it in 

 the Philofophical Tranfa&ions. The Rev. Dr. William 

 Borlafe, in his Natural Hiftory of Cornwall, haslikewife 

 given us a figure of two kinds ; one with a hole at each end 

 of the rays, befides the central hole in the epidermis ; and 

 one with only one hole in each ray, and that on the broad 

 part, which he takes to be the fame with Dr. SchloiTer's; 

 but I find that the two kinds, mentioned by Dr. Borlafe, 

 are one and the fame animal, and this appears very clearly 

 from a fpecimen fent me from North Wales, by my inge- 

 nious friend Thomas Pennant, Efq. where the ftars -on it 

 anfwer to both kinds ; for fome of the rays have only one 

 hole, which is on the obtufe end, but the greateft num- 

 ber ot the ftars have a fmall hole at the narrow end of the 

 rays which turns up, befides the hole on the broad part : 

 fometimes thefe holes at the fmall end join all together 

 in a circle, and the opening of the outward fldn, or 



A a epidermis, 



177 



